The Park Inn by Radisson in Uppsala is a welcoming hotel in an ideal location. Just a few minutes walk from the town's train station (a train whisks you to Stockholm's Arlanda airport in less than 20 minutes), it's also easy walking distance to the city centre – where you can enjoy the many attractions that this ancient university town has to offer.

Our stay at the Park Inn was comfortable and relaxing. The staff team were exceptional – friendly and helpful, with a warm welcome that made us feel instantly at home.

The reception area reflects the historic origins of the hotel – a former crafts guild building. There's an atmosphere of boho chic, with colourful, comfy chairs, vintage-style lamps creating soft lighting and retro touches – such as an old-fashioned turntable record player, with a selection of vinyl records that guests are invited to choose from and play!

We stayed in a family room – a spacious and comfortable three-bedded room (can accommodate a fourth bed) that was quiet and peaceful. Complimentary fruit and bottled water in the room was a nice touch. There was also everything needed to make a cup of tea or coffee, as well as access to the hotel's free, fast wifi.

The morning's breakfast buffet offered good-quality choices – including eggs and bacon, cold meats and cheeses, and a selection of pastries. Breakfast is served in the on-site restaurant, Aperitivo, which also offers tasty meals for lunch or dinner.

If exploring Uppsala doesn't wear you out, take advantage of the hotel's gym. Here you'll find a range of cardio machines, including treadmill, cross-trainer and exercise bike. There's a Swedish sauna too (separate facilities for men and women), as well as a steam room.

Park Inn by Radisson has been awarded the Green Key Certificate, and there's evidence of the hotel's excellent environmental policies throughout the building.

As hotel guests who want to minimize our carbon footprint, we're often frustrated by a lack of on-site recycling facilities. Park Inn by Radisson has tackled this problem by providing recycling bins for guests to use on each floor – the first time we had seen this in a hotel.

The hotel's action to protect the environment goes well beyond the recycling bins, though. The Park Inn's environmental policies are no new thing – they've been in operation since the 1990s. Its Responsible Business targets focus on making improvements within three key areas – environment, people and the community.

The hotel's Think Planet initiatives – one element of the Responsible Business targets – work to reduce the hotel's negative impact on the environment. This includes reducing water use, and an impressive target to save 25 per cent of energy used within five years.

Guests can play their part too. Each time a guest declines housekeeping services, Park Inn by Radisson donates a euro to Hand in Hand in Sweden – a charity working against poverty – so helping both the environment and people. The hotel acts as a sponsor for a village in India, where sustainable development initiatives work to improve health, the environment and education.